Dmitri Nicodemus
Dmitri Borislav Nicodemus (born''' Dmitri Borislav Oldzynski'; 26 September 558 – 19 June 752), also known as '''Vanguard Five' to the public for many years, was an Imperial soldier, Vanguard, and top-secret agent for the Magister of the Terran Imperium. He served in the Enforcement Response Division of the Imperial Strike Force (ISF) for four years before being accepted into the Vanguards, the Terran Emperor's personal bodyguard. When Emperor Michael Windsor was forced to step down after the position of emperor was abolished in 608, Nicodemus joined the Praetorian Courier Service (PCS) and quickly became the company's most well-known employee. Nicodemus led a PCS mission in 612 that involved a search for the former emperor, who had disappeared from the public eye after abdicating his throne. The PCS team uncovered a usurpation plot in development by Windsor, and a standoff in the Spica system ended with Nicodemus killing the former emperor. International uproar followed as the events came under scrutiny from every corner, and he was referred to in all media and public reports as "Vanguard Five" to protect his identity and person. Both the Imperial House of Nobles and the International Criminal Court (ICC) found Nicodemus innocent of all charges brought against him, although he was dismissed from the PCS for violating certain policies in the course of his mission. In light of his exceptional service, loyalty, and experience, Nicodemus was approached only months later by the Office of the Magister and asked to work as a top-secret agent and report directly to the Magister. He accepted, and took part in many notable (although publicly unknown) operations over the next fifty years. Most noteworthy were his neutralization of mercenaries attempting a takeover of Vigilance Research Laboratories, and his time spent as a slave in order to help bring down the Epsilon Mafia's human trafficking industry. Nicodemus retired from active service in 661, and his identity as Vanguard Five was officialy confirmed by the Imperium in 664. Despite attempts by the media to either elevate or villainize him, he lived a very private life on New Sparta for the majority of his later years and only rarely interacted with the public. Nicodemus continued to serve the Imperium as an instructor on a periodic basis for the Imperial Intelligence Agency (IIA), the ISF, and the Imperial Army's Scarlet Rangers. In 728, Nicodemus retired completely, and dedicated the majority of his time to his estate and his contributions to the International Military History Project, which was based out of Eldridge University. In 742, he invited an anonymous journalist to stay at his villa for over a month, during which time he divulged the complete details of the former emperor's death, in addition to details surrounding other events. These details were not published until after Nicodemus's death ten years later, which occured of natural causes on June 19th, 752. Following his death and the publications of the journalist, Dmitri Nicodemus's legacy became one that focused most intensely on his supreme loyalty to the Imperium. He was often referred to as the epitomic Imperial soldier, a "holy knight" of sorts that fought for the good of the people behind the scenes. Nicodemus married Kyliara Resani in 612, and the two had four children: Anisya, Ivan, Pitr, and Davin. Dmitri and Kyliara were married for 132 years, until Kyliara's death in 744. Identity Nicodemus's multiple identities were not well-known or linked to each other during his life-time, due to his secretive status with various branches of the Terran military. He was born under the name Oldzynski and used that name through his time in the ISF. Upon his acceptance into the Vanguards, however, he was required to change his last name in the interest of security (an anonymity and blackmail prevention measure), and chose the surname Nicodemus. Following the disbanding of the unit, he reverted to using the name of Oldzynski. Technically, Dmitri possessed two separate and legal identities at this time, so he was able to use his original name legally during his time in the Praetorian Courier Service. This protected his identity as a former Vanguard, and he only openly discussed his time in the ISF. Following the death of the former Emperor Windsor, Dmitri became known as "Vanguard Five" to the media and the public, a designation he was given to protect his identity and person during the trials, and visuals of him were never released. During his service as an agent with the Office of the Magister, he began using the name of Nicodemus once more . It should be noted, however, that once he began service as the Magister's agent, the identity of Nicodemus was completely erased from all digital records galaxy-wide. Imperial slicers went to extreme lengths to do so, breaking into the archives of foreign intelligence agencies, information brokers such as Liam Redigan, and any other source with a file on him (rare though they were). Files on the Nicodemus identity were kept only on a single closed system (unconnected to the cybernet in the Magister's office, and on paper. If Nicodemus's biometric data was inputted into any law enforcement or military system, the only response would be for the system to tell the user to "refer to higher authority." These messages persisted until reaching the Magister's office (the highest military authority in the Imperium, other than the Lord Protector). Nicodemus's identity was brought officially into being on Imperial systems following his retirement from active duty, although his file was only declassified in 813, sixty-one years after his death. Early Years (558-594) Family and Education Dmitri Oldzynski was born to Victor and Lucia Oldzynski on September 26, 558, in northern Atlantica, Earth. His father was a successful stock broker, and his mother the owner of a small cybernet-based retail company. Although not particularly wealthy, the family maintained a comfortable middle-class lifestyle. Dmitri was the oldest of the family's three children: his younger brother, Vasily, was born in 563; his younger sister, Eva, was born in 569. The age gaps prevented the siblings from ever becoming close. In 576, Dmitri moved to the southern seaboard to attend the Atlantica School of Economics, the same prestigious university that Nova Ramiran VII had attended some 120 years earlier. He graduated magna cum laude ''with a degree in Business in 580. Drug-dealing and Arrest Even with a highly-respected degree, Dmitri was unable to find a job within the first two months after graduating, likely due to a brief economic slump that occurred from 579-82. In need of money and unwilling to turn to his parents, Dmitri used some connections to begin working as a drug dealer. His business acumen and prudence allowed him to operate profitably without police suspicion for eight years. He was arrested in 588, however, during a police raid of a warehouse. The space and goods inside belonged to another dealer, but Dmitri was arrested for possession of illegal drugs and an unlicense firearm. Further investigation revealed his extensive activities, and he was tried and sentenced to twenty years in prison. Imperial Strike Forces (595-600) After serving six years of his prison sentence, Oldzynski was offered a choice: to either complete a reduced sentence of fifteen years (total), or to enter service in the Imperial Strike Force. The choise, despite its appearance, was a difficult one—life expectancy in the ISF averaged at only thirteen months. He accepted the risk, however, and elected to join the ISF. He entered a one-year probationary training period in 595, and a upon its completion entered active duty with the Enforcement Response Division (ERD). : "The choice to join the ISF was pretty straightforward. I didn't want to keep sitting in prison, but the problem was that I was scared. That 13-month life expectancy didn't seem to be much more optimistic. I mean, even prison is better than dying. The thing was, though, that I had to decide; I couldn't simply not choose. Ultimately, I think I went with the ISF because it presented me with an opportunity for redemption, for earning a clean slate for myself. As it turned out, it was the second-best choice I ever made." —''Dmitri Nicodemus, 742 Oldzynski excelled as a soldier, a fact he credited to his varied background and instincts. He had been wounded only once when he reached the 13-month mark, and throughout his service he was never seriously injured. Despite never participating in any high-profile arrests, he performed high above expectations, and by the time he was entering his fourth year of service, he had been promoted to First Lieutenant. Only a few months later, he submitted his application to join the Vanguards. Vanguard (600-608) The process of joining the Vanguards was not a simple one, and it involved an application, multiple rounds of interviews, tests, an extremely thorough investigation into him by the Imperial Intelligence Agency, and eventually a practice exercise Oldzynski took part in. Superiors were initially doubtful about him because of his former association with drug-culture, but were won over by his ISF record and Oldzynski himself. Upon his acceptance, he took the surname of Nicodemus because he was "searching for truth," in the same way that the Jewish elder was when he went to visit Jesus in the Christian Bible (John 3). Service During the Abdication blah Praetorian Courier Service (609-612) blah Vanguard Five and the Death of Michael Windsor (612) blah Magister's Agent (613-661) blah Vigilance (?) blah Epsilon Mafia blah Retirement from Active Duty (661-728) blah Complete Retirement (728-752) blah Meetings with the Anonymous Journalist blah Publications blah Portrayal in the Media blah Personal Life blah.